The band has already weathered multiple issues from illness to rumours about them splitting, but now X Factor 's 5 After Midnight are reeling from an alleged incident of racist language.

The Sun claims the band's Jordan Lee used the N-word in this behind-the-scenes footage he tweeted yesterday – two days after getting through to next week's show.

X Factor officials have dismissed the claims, saying it was a "mishearing", but Jordan's greeting to another person inside the contestants' house certainly sounds like he's saying "n*****".

"Literally just in the house finished filming now Chilling," Jordan captioned the video when he uploaded it.

Behind the scenes at X Factor's Disco Week rehearsals (Image: ITV)

The show has been hit with dramas (Image: Splash News)

None of his followers picked up the alleged racist word, though one noticed that he'd burped on camera.

An X Factor spokesperson told the newspaper: "We've checked the video several times and Jordan does not use any racist terms.

"He is in fact just saying, 'Hey, new girl' as there was a new member of the film team at the house."

The rep also told Mirror Online: "We've checked the video and spoken to Jordan and he categorically did not say what has been suggested."

Behind the scenes at X Factor's Disco Week rehearsals (Image: ITV)

It's the third time this series the hit ITV talent show has been hit with racism claims –Honey G was forced to deny she had dropped the n-word during her performance of Kriss Kross' 1993 classic Jump just two weeks ago.

An X Factor spokesperson told Mirror Online at the time: "Honey G did not use any offensive language. She sang the correct lyrics and said 'kicking the flavor that makes you wanna jump'."

Honey defended herself separately, saying: "Any allegations of me being racist are completely false. All that stuff to do with me attacking black culture is utterly ridiculous.

"I've never said anything racist or behaved in that way, just because I'm pushing music from a black origin doesn't mean I'm attacking black culture."

During that same episode, contestant Saaro Aalto was slammed for dressing as a geisha when she sang Sound Of The Underground, leaving Twitter baffled as to why producers had picked that outfit.